I want a native Ubuntu installation, not an VM. Do I have options on my Mac (that don't involve destroying the 'Mac' portion of it) or should I just switch to a standard PC? If I do have options, it would be nice to know what they are :-p

Just click through, select the version of Ubuntu and you'll get some installation instructions. Be sure to check the hardware compatibility too because you might not want to install if certain things aren't going to work.

The instructions for non-destructive, dual boot Mac/Ubuntu setup can be found on Ubuntu Community pages. I've have followed that instruction and installed Ubuntu 11.04 on MacBook Pro side by side with OSX. Both systems work fine.

easier way after burning the ubuntu cd restart your mac when the white screen comes up press quickly alt the you should insert the ubuntu cd dont go into efi but go to windows
then you can install it . before all of this be careful dont partiton you hard disk